LGA Special Interest Group Annual Report to LGA Board

**SIG Name:** Public Transport Consortium\
**Lead Member:** Cllr Alexander Nicoll\
**Lead Officer:** John Pope

**Email:** admin@publictransportconsortium.org.uk\
**Address:** 45 Sycamore Rd, East Leake, Leics., LE12 6PP\
**Telephone:** 07757 944689\
**Website:** www.publictransportconsortium.org.uk

**Membership**

| Bath & North East Somerset Council | Hertfordshire County Council | | Blackpool Council | Kent County Council | | Bristol City Council | Lancashire County Council | | Buckinghamshire County Council | Lincolnshire County Council | | Cheshire West & Chester Council | Luton Borough Council | | Cheshire East Council | Norfolk County Council | | Devon County Council | Nottinghamshire County Council | | Durham County Council | Somerset County Council | | East Sussex Council | South Gloucestershire Council | | Essex County Council | Staffordshire County Council | | Gloucester County Council | Suffolk County Council | | Halton Borough Council | Surrey County Council | | Hampshire County Council | Warwickshire County Council |

**Aim**

The Consortium aims to:

- act as a forum for discussion and promotion of public transport issues affecting local authorities outside metropolitan areas;
- promote the exchange of experience and good practice between member authorities and in liaison with other bodies;
- advise appropriate committees or other executive bodies of the LGA on public transport issues;
- represent interests of member authorities to Government, the Local Government Association, operators and other organisations involved in public transport; and
- provide advice and guidance to member authorities concerning Passenger Transport policy and operations. Key Activities / Outcomes of work undertaken

The Consortium has responded to the following consultations: Taxi & private hire licensing; DfT Pay as you go rail fare consultation; Rail industry review (Williams); East West rail; Legislative changes to the operator licensing system; Carbon offsetting in transport; Home to school transport guidance; responded to HoC Transport Committee;

Liased with: Department for Transport:

- topics such as Bus Open Data; the use of Section 19 & 22 permits and the short distance exemption for community transport; the Inclusion Leaders Transport Scheme; updates on the implementation of the Bus Services Act 2017; Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations.

LGA Transport Officers Transport Focus: research Confederation of Passenger Transport:

- Trends in English Bus Patronage
- Moving forward together – the future’s better with bus

Bus Users UK: Rural Buses – reversing the decline Rail Delivery Group – fares reform Network Rail – building a stronger working relationship Transport Knowledge Hub, including representation on the Board.

Arranged a regional meeting and study tour to Blackpool, reviewing their use of transport as part of local regeneration.

In addition to six planned meetings, the Consortium maintains contacts with members through regular and timely news updates. Due to the lockdown, the final meeting in the programme for 2019-20 had to be cancelled, but the business of the Consortium has continued through liaison with the Executive committee.